Good Neighbors: Makita and cargo-partner celebrate 10 years of cooperation

If you’ve ever found yourself in a pinch during a home improvement project, you’ll know that a neighbor with a well-stocked toolbox can be a great asset. At cargo-partner’s iLogistics Center near Vienna Airport, the roles are a bit reversed – here, power tool manufacturer Makita comes over to borrow warehouse space for its power tools during times of peak business. One such peak season comes in the months leading up to Christmas. We took the Advent season as an opportunity to invite our neighbor over for a chat about the two companies’ shared history of the past ten years.

Interviewer: Christmas is just around the corner, and shopping streets as well as online marketplaces are overrun with people searching for the ideal gifts for their loved ones. Power tools seem to be an all-time favorite when it comes to Christmas gifts for men. Do you register increased order volumes in the months leading up to Christmas? 

Florian Zamecnik, Makita: As Makita does not supply to end customers, things are a bit different. We do notice an increase in sales, but it happens much earlier. Our partners order several months in advance to fill up their stock and be prepared for Christmas sales.

In addition to power tools, Makita also produces accessories such as battery-powered heated blankets and even coffee makers. Are these items especially popular during the colder season? Do you also have special seasonal items for the warmer months of the year? 

Over the past few years, our range of products has continuously expanded. Most people know us for power tools typically being used on construction sites, such as drilling machines. However, we are now seeing increasing demand for accessories like radios, heated blankets or coffee makers. In addition, we have diversified our portfolio for gardening tools, where we now offer more than 200 different lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, brush cutters and other items.

Two years ago, Makita moved its Austrian head office to Fischamend near Vienna Airport – right next to the newly built cargo-partner iLogistics Center. What were the reasons for this relocation? 

The previous location in Vienna did not fulfill our demands anymore. Moreover, thanks to our continuous growth, both the storage facility and the office space had become too small. So we decided to build our new Austrian head office for 90 staff at the new location near Vienna Airport. Storage capacity increased to more than 10,000 square meters for 20,000 pallets and 35,000 items of spare parts and accessories. Having Vienna Airport nearby and benefiting from direct access to the cargo-partner iLogistics Center allows us to best serve our partners in the day-to-day business where time efficiency is critical.

What does Makita expect from its logistics provider, and what are the most important requirements in this regard? 

For Makita, flexibility is the most critical aspect. There are many tasks everyone can manage and execute, but meeting our specific needs which can change by the week, handling seasonal goods and offering quick solutions when problems arise is something not everyone can achieve.

Makita has been working with cargo-partner since 2009. The cooperation began with seafreight imports and road distribution and has expanded to comprehensive transport, warehousing, supply chain management and IT services. How would you characterize the collaboration? 

The collaboration between cargo-partner and Makita is excellent. The most important criterion for good collaboration is how employees work together in day-to-day business. Effective communication on a high level could not be achieved without the personal effort from every single member of this big “team”.

cargo-partner makes use of automation to streamline its collaboration with customers. For instance, two EDI interfaces have been set up between cargo-partner’s and Makita’s systems to automate the transmission of transport orders and customs declarations. This saves time and manual effort. What role does automation play in Makita’s manufacturing processes? 

Automation is a very important aspect for Makita. We have to deal with complex demands leading to an increasing workload throughout the company. Being able to rely on a logistics provider who can simplify and streamline processes is a very big benefit for any company.

Thank you for the interview!